Final blog

The results of the ASCNPD Survey in this week's article, Listen to the Voices: School Counselors and Comprehensive School Counseling Programs (Dahir, Burnham, and Stone, 2009) came as no huge surprise.  First, school counselors held similar priorities and beliefs about their role as school counselors and their impact on the schools was similar across the board. I would hope that, no matter what level a school counselor works in, he/she would still strive to achieve the highest standards for their students.  It was also no surprise that high school counselors placed a higher emphasis on career awareness than did middle and elementary level counselors.  This is a time when students are directly faced with the decision on what to do after high school, so career is a significant part of a CSCP at this level (Dahir, Burnham, and Stone, 2009).  

I was somewhat surprised at some of the findings of the study.  Looking at the personal/social sub scale, it is a slight surprise that middle school counselors were more involved in student-related tasks than elementary and high school counselors; I would have guessed that elementary would have had the highest score, because counselors at this level seem to be more focused on students' personal/social well-being. However, Middle School is typically the area of greatest need when it comes to student personal/social issues, so I think this finding is a positive one.  I am also slightly surprised that middle school counselors place a stronger emphasis on improving grades.  While middle school is a significant time of academic transition, if I were to guess I would think that high school counselors place more emphasis on this due to the fact that grades during these years "count" the most for college and post-secondary program admittance.  Apparently I am not the only one who is slightly surprised by these findings.  In this study, "the middle school counselors attained the highest mean scores in all of the areas an appeared to be the most closely aligned to the principles of the State Plan and the ASCA National Model," and this finding contradicts previous studies that suggest that elementary school counselors are "most closely aligned in beliefs, priorities, and practices to the ASCA National Model" (Dahir, Burnham, and Stone, 2009).  

I have learned a lot about the ASCA National Model throughout this semester.  I must admit that I am nervous and a bit overwhelmed to think about implementing a CSCP, especially if I am hired in a district that does not already have one in place.  It is a very large undertaking that I would think that, in reality, takes years to implement effectively.  I am glad to have had this experience so that I am more well-equipped to take on this job some day. 

Reference:

Dahir, C.A., Burnham, J.J., & Stone, C. (2009, February)  Listen to the voices: School counselors and comprehensive school counseling programs.  Professional School Counseling, 12(3), 182-192.